AgriStability discussions may need to move up the agenda
The ramping up of the U.S.-China trade war will put more pressure on the Canadian government to increase its financial assistance to farmers who are already suffering from the early stages of the superpower skirmish. China has announced it will stop buying U.S. agricultural products and it may impose additional tariffs on U.S. farm products […] Read more
More vets needed to certify animals were raised without growth promotants
Canada could be selling more beef to Europe if it increased the number of veterinarians trained to approve cattle for shipment there or secured approval for using Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) to meet European requirements, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) says. Since the free trade agreement with Europe came into effect nearly two years […] Read more
The nation needs to up its game to become a food safety leader
A lot remains to be done to give the Canada brand the global cachet needed to make Canadian food exports international bestsellers, a series of cross-country workshops has concluded. Organized by Canada 2020, the workshops will conclude in November with a session in the national capital that is intended to pull together the ideas that […] Read more
But as the sector becomes more technology driven, there’s a serious skills mismatch
Back-to-back announcements on agriculture work issues spell out the challenge that farmers will increasingly face in grappling with long-standing worker shortages and adopting new technology into their operations. First was a report July 22 from the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council (CAHRC) that said “nearly all farm employers share similar challenges when it comes to […] Read more
Action on AgriStability shortcomings could come by the end of the year
The annual meeting of Canadian agriculture ministers concluded with lots of talk — but no immediate changes along the lines recommended by a coalition of farm organizations. The ministers’ closing statement said they discussed trade disputes, support for dairy and poultry producers, labour shortages, fixing business risk management programs and preventing African Swine Fever from […] Read more
OECD remains critical of Canada’s supply management system
Canada remains the perennial Boy Scout of international agriculture policy. Canadian farmers receive less government support than producers in many other countries, according to the latest report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, the organization remains critical of supply management in the dairy and poultry sector. With the introduction of business risk […] Read more
Grain, beef and horticulture production will be the hardest hit
There are no signs that Canadian agriculture’s labour crunch will be easing any time soon. In fact a recent labour market forecast from the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council (CAHRC) suggests the situation is set to worsen sharply over the next 10 years. That will limit future growth and delay expansion plans, the group says. […] Read more
The online tool could be handy when planting and cropping decisions are at hand
Agriculture Canada has unveiled a new online weather watching tool that will enable farmers to better track extreme weather conditions during the agricultural growing season. Called ‘Extreme Weather Indices,’ the tool was developed in collaboration with Environment Canada’s weather service and should help farmers plan their planting and harvesting operations. Like weather forecasts, the indices […] Read more
A Pan-Canadian action plan is under development, says Canada’s CVO
The North American campaign to stop the spread of African swine fever just got a big boost from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), according to Canada’s chief veterinary officer. ASF “is now everyone’s problem,” said Jaspinder Komal, Canada’s CVO. At its recent general assembly meeting in Paris, OIE delegates agreed to launch a […] Read more
The PMRA has been stacking review upon review in some cases, critics say
Agri-food groups support provisions in the 2019 budget to trigger pesticide safety reviews when one is merited and not just because another country orders one on a product. While Health Canada and the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency take a risk-based approach to pesticide approvals, other members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development employ […] Read more
